Disappointment about WAZE

[llayden]

Did anybody actually READ my post???

Hi tomylee,

They probably did read your post! However the problem is that they're not the people you want to answer. When they downloaded Waze, they didn't download a navigation system, they downloaded a hobby. They love editing, having arguments about how to label motorway ramps and so on. They were completely sincere in offering to sort the particular example you used as an example - that's what they love doing but of course they missed the point. Your question goes to the heart of the project and its weakest point, the problem of creating a reliable useable map using the Wiki model and an editor(s) that is/are not designed around productivity and efficiency.

I'm with you on this. I'm disappointed with Waze.

I've put in a year of hard work, 550,000 points worth (borderline megawazer). I've produced a near perfect map of Dublin and surrounding area, covering 1/3 of the population of Ireland. All that has done is push us up from 10 users a week to maybe 100 - nothing like enough to get rerouting around jams or anything like that. In fact, I can sit in my office which backs onto one of our motorways, the M1 and by simply sitting there can make the motorway appear gridlocked! In the year, Waze has not given me back one useful piece of information.

The elders of the community will tell us to be patient, to be grateful that its free, that it did brilliant things during Carmageddon, etc. The simple fact is that it is failing because it is too difficult to produce useable maps. You pave a road. By default it goes in as one-way. You realise that and edit the road to make it two way. The five Km you've paved has been created as 30 segments - however, even though you've made them two-way, you still have 29 non-return valves that only allow you to move one way. You can bridge the segments (two at a time) or enable all turns on each turn (one at a time) but what percentage of people can be bothered? Simply STUPID. Buy a Sat Nav for €80 and get a service from day one.

Nobody in Waze will answer you or me and eventually we get tired and leave. They'll let the hobbyists fend us off. I wish more of the disgruntled would join in and grumble. I still think it has great potential but ...

[Mynios]

Hi llayden,

What a brilliant text! I will print it about and hang it over my bed.

Regards
Mynios

[xteejx]

Really? I'd imagine after that amount of edits you'd know how this works by now...
Map are community made, like Wikipedia. If you expected a fully working GPS system, go and buy one otherwise stop bitching about the map and do something to fix it, etc. Been said throughout these forums more than enough times. It's also shown on the Waze website when you select your country "maps in this area are just starting and will be missing bits and be unreliable but it's a great time to edit and get the map down". Sorry people but if you can't read....

using Tapatalk

[xteejx]

Oh BTW it doesn't need to be said but you should know better than to leave Waze running and creating false reports. But if you say there aren't many users I'd not be too bothered.

using Tapatalk

[llayden]

Really? I'd imagine after that amount of edits you'd know how this works by now...
Map are community made, like Wikipedia. If you expected a fully working GPS system, go and buy one otherwise stop bitching about the map and do something to fix it, etc. Been said throughout these forums more than enough times. It's also shown on the Waze website when you select your country "maps in this area are just starting and will be missing bits and be unreliable but it's a great time to edit and get the map down". Sorry people but if you can't read....

using Tapatalk

You really are not listening. WE KNOW HOW IT WORKS AND WE ARE SAYING THAT THE WAY IT IS WORKING IS FAILING. How may years can it be 'just starting'. I'm 51 - will it work before I retire... or die? I've 120,000 edits done and its still only good enough to attract a few dozen people. How much effort do you think people are going to put in? There are only 27 people in the world that have put in more effort than me. I'm supporting the original poster in the belief that the Wiki model is not working and may not be suitable for this type of data.

I've argued my case pointing examples of the weaknesses - you have put no counter argument. It is you that can't read dot dot dot.

[llayden]

Oh BTW it doesn't need to be said but you should know better than to leave Waze running and creating false reports. But if you say there aren't many users I'd not be too bothered.

using Tapatalk

Of course not but this happened me by accident and it had the effect I pointed out. I'm highlighting it as a weakness as there is no way if we ever get tens of thousands of people (that we need) in a city to use it that they will all be exactly disciplined to avoid these sort of shortcomings. An item that performs perfectly if you observe 127 rules will lose out to one that is about 90% perfect but easy to use.

[jasonh300]

Of course not but this happened me by accident and it had the effect I pointed out. I'm highlighting it as a weakness as there is no way if we ever get tens of thousands of people (that we need) in a city to use it that they will all be exactly disciplined to avoid these sort of shortcomings. An item that performs perfectly if you observe 127 rules will lose out to one that is about 90% perfect but easy to use.

If you have 10,000 people in a city using Waze, the people speeding by on the freeway will negate the traffic jam caused by the person sitting in their office.

[bobsk8]

I love the idea of having the instant feedback from other users when commuting. On the other hand it is annoying when I travel to a store that I locate as I did yesterday, and right before I get to the store, Waze tries to turn me in the opposite direction, from the store I am traveling to.

I talked my daughter a few days ago into loading Waze onto her brand new iPhone. She works in downtown Atlanta, GA, and had an appointment 2 days ago after work. Waze tried to make her turn down one way streets against traffic three times, and led her on a merry go round of wrong turns after that. She finally gave up and closed down Waze and opened up Telenav, and got to her destination. She also liked the live aspect of Waze, but obviously, she will not rely on it to get her anywhere, that she doesn't already know the way to. It's a shame, really.

[krankyd]

Hi,

I'm sorry you feel that no body from waze will read or respond to your post, and we'll just let it slide. The feedback from the community - negative and positive feedback - is very important for us, and without it, it will be impossible for us to progress and make a better product.

With that said, in some countries there are only a number of things we can do to make things better. If the community in your country is not strong enough, we can try and make it stronger. Obviously countries with a basemap have an 'easier' start over countries without one, but the effort by the pioneers in the countries without the basemap is usually harder and less rewarding.

I don't think anyone will have to wait till retirement age for waze to work. You're saying that the current system is not good enough in the sense that working on better maps is simply not enough to bring in enough new people to make the information worthwhile. And again, I say that it's because your country is still at a very early stage.

Not to look only at 'big success stories' such as 'carmagadon' or the bay area, you have many countries that started off with some pioneers and do have a low of valuable information for users today: take the Netherlands, Singapore or Hungary as an example. Their communities are growing and reaching critical levels, and in some cities has already reached that level.

It's a combination of great editors, having a base map or not, and getting enough people joining. In some countries we try and help by bringing more focus to waze, and in other countries (such as Slovakia and Hungary), some of our users take initiative in getting waze meetups and more people joining waze, and we help as much as we can.
If there's anything you think we can help with in your country, just let us know.

[osbumlets]

I talked my daughter a few days ago into loading Waze onto her brand new iPhone. She works in downtown Atlanta, GA, and had an appointment 2 days ago after work.

I've taken a look at the Atlanta waze maps before, and they are very bad. Really in need of more area managers familiar with the area.